MCP 2020 Group 18 Xaverian Missionaries

MCP 2020: Xaverian Missionaries

On this page you'll find information about Group 18: Xaverian Missionaries

Mission Appeal Video

Please click here to view the mission appeal video from the Xaverian Missionaries in English

Please click here to view the mission appeal video from the Xaverian Missionaries in Spanish

Mission Appeal Text

Text of Mission Appeal (Word)-English

Text of Mission Appeal (Word)-Spanish

Text of Mission Appeal (PDF)-English

Text of Mission Appeal (PDF)-Spanish

Text of Mission Appeal Online--Click here or Scroll Down-English

Text of Mission Appeal Online--Click here or Scroll Down-Spanish

Mission Appeal Images

Below are some images from the mission group.
(If you are a parish representative and would like the images emailed to you, please contact wmo@archmil.org)

To download the image files (.jpg format), please do the following:

On a PC

• Hover your mouse over the name link (in English or Spanish) under Image Description (orange text to the left of the thumbnail)
• Right click on your mouse and choose, "Save Link Target As" or "Save Link As"
• Your file directory will open up
• Choose where you wish to save the file

On a Mac

• To open a new tab of the image, simply click on the name link (in English or Spanish) under Image Description (orange text to the left of the thumbnail)          -or-
• To open a new window of the image, hold down the Shift key as you click on the file name link
• Then, in the new tab or window, under the File menu, choose "Save Page As" to save the file to your computer. 

Image Description	Thumbnail Image
Women learning trades (sewing, making soap and other products) and taking alphabetization classes. Mujeres aprendiendo oficios (corte y confección, elaboración de jabón y otros productos) y programa de alfabetización.
Teens visiting the elderly, bringing food, and praying with them. Jóvenes visitando a los ancianos, llevándoles comida y rezando con ellos.
Teens spending time with the sisters of Saint Joseph, with whom they collaborate in ministry. Jóvenes con las Hermanas de San José, con quien colaboran en el Ministerio.
Teens’ Outing, visit to cultural places. Paseo cultural con los jóvenes.
Keeping alive traditional dancing and singing. Manteniendo vivas la danza y el canto tradicional.
Teens in community work. They are making sun-dried bricks to build simple houses for the elderly and destitute. Their poster reads: “Youth of action, not of words.”  Jóvenes en trabajo comunitario. Elaboración de ladrillo para la construcción de viviendas para los ancianos y destituidos. Su poster dice: Jóvenes de acción y no de palabras.”
Kids in the orphanage during their lunch time. Niños en el orfanato durante su almuerzo.

Donation Link

We now offer a secure, online system to process your MCP donation. To donate by credit card or check to the MCP appeal for Group 18: Xaverian Missionaries click here for the English Donation Page or click here for the Spanish Donation Page. 

If you prefer to donate at Mass or through your parish, please make your check payable to your parish and mark the memo MCP Group 18. Please contact your parish office directly to inquire how to turn in your check. 

 

Mission Appeal Text-English

Xaverian Missionaries
Group 18, Missionary Cooperation Plan 2020

My name is Fr. Alejandro Rodriguez and as a missionary, I spent 6 and a half years in the Philippines. I am a member of the Saint Francis Xavier Foreign Mission Society, also known as The Xaverians. We are an international community of priests, brothers and sisters, working in 21 countries, trying to extend the Good News of Salvation.

When first I was sent to the Philippines as a missionary, I had all these ideas about missions: baptisms, development, education ... you name it.

However, I was not expecting the mission to teach me what mission is really about: to walk with the people of God. Let me explain: a few months after we opened a new parish in Marikina, a city on the periphery of the capital, we got hit by a hurricane. I remember that I was driving to the center of the capital, to celebrate a baptism, I got stuck on one overpass because everything got flooded in a matter of minutes. I stayed there from around 10:30 am to 11:00 pm. Finally, when the water went down, I was able to reach the seminary of the Xaverians. The next day, around 5:00am, I decided to go and find some supplies before heading back to my parish, where there were two other priests. When I arrived at the community, the only thing I could see was destruction and death. The words of the prophet Jeremiah came to my mind: "If I go out to the country, I see those slain by the sword; if I enter the city, I see those ravaged by famine! For both prophet and priest travel to a land they do not know." I got impatient with God and started questioning Him. I could not understand how such devastation could happen. People were walking aimless and as without soul. It took me some days of work and prayer to get an answer from God. Weeks later, as we celebrated Mass, the first reading read: "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God." Then it all made sense. I was not there as a missionary who could bring prosperity, social development, or education ... I was there on a mission, the mission of God: "to comfort God's people." I was in the mission to bring hope and good news. Of course, medical aid, food supplies, and education go hand in hand with the preaching of the Good News.

This new understanding of mission: "to be the messenger of the care of God for His people," helped me to redefine my work as a missionary. It renewed my desire to work for the missions.  That is the reason I am here today, and I want to ask from you three things:

1. Pray for missionaries: because it is difficult to understand the ways of God, and there are many reasons to go astray in the missionary journey.
2. Pray for Vocations: we need new men and women who desire to leave everything behind for the good of God's people.
3. Your economic support, because without your help we cannot be in the missions, and we cannot help the people with whom we work. There are many projects around our missions, but today I want to focus on a project we are working on in the town of Kilomoni, extension of the city of Uvira, in Congo, central Africa.
   
   The project is called: The Kilomoni Center for Young People.

• This project is an enterprise of the Xaverians in Congo, which aims to educate, form, and train young people, as well as to prevent drugs, prostitution, gangs, and criminal affiliation.
• Special attention is given to girls in this center, since they could be more vulnerable to fall into prostitution or even abortion.

I ask you do to what you can, for as Saint Mother Theresa says: “what matters is how much love you put into whatever you are called to do…”

I want to thank in a special way your Bishop, your Pastor, and the director for the Mission office for the opportunity given to me and my community to be here today, to speak about the missions. Thank you for your generosity and may God continue to bless you always.

 

Mission Appeal Text-Spanish

Misioneros Xaverianos
Grupo 18, Plan de Cooperación Misionera 2020

Soy el padre Alejandro Rodriguez, y trabaje como misionero por 6 años y medio en Filipinas. Soy miembro de la Sociedad de San Francisco Xavier para las Misiones Extranjeras también conocidos como los Misioneros Xaverianos.

La primera vez que me enviaron a las Filipinas como misionero, mis ideas sobre las misiones eran muchas.

Sin embargo, no esperaba que la misión me enseñaría lo que la misión es: “caminar con el pueblo de Dios.” Dejen me explicar, durante un fuerte huracán, mi comunidad se inundó por completo. Una vez que el agua bajo, decidí caminar por la comunidad y por lo que vi las palabras del profeta Jeremías vinieron a mi mente: “Salgo al campo: muertos a espada; entro en la ciudad: desfallecidos de hambre; tanto el profeta como el sacerdote vagan sin sentido por el país.” Me impaciente con Dios y comencé a interrogarlo. No podía entender cómo podía suceder tal devastación. Me tomó algunos días de trabajo y oración para obtener una respuesta de Dios. Semanas después, mientras celebramos misa, la lectura decía: "Consuela, consuela a mi gente, dice tu Dios.” Entonces, todo tuvo sentido. Estaba allí para una misión la misión de Dios: "para consolar al pueblo de Dios”. Mi misión era llevar la esperanza y Buena Noticia del Evangelio. Por supuesto, ayuda médica, suministros de alimentos y educación van a la par con la predicación del Evangelio.

Esta nueva percepción de la misión, Renuevo mi deseo de trabajar para las misiones. Por lo tanto, hoy, quiero pedirles tres cosas:

1. Oren por los misioneros: porque es difícil entender los caminos de Dios y hay muchas razones para extraviarse en el viaje misionero.
2. Oren por las vocaciones: necesitamos nuevos hombres y mujeresque deseen dejar todo atrás por el bien del pueblo de Dios.
3. Su apoyo económico, porque sin tu ayuda no podemos ayudar a las personas con las que trabajamos. Quiero presentarte en un proyecto en el que estamos trabajando en el pueblo de Kilomoni, parte de la ciudad de Uvira, en el Congo, en África central.
   
   El proyecto se llama: El Centro Kilomoni para Jóvenes:

• Este proyecto es un proyecto de los Xaverianos en el Congo, cuyo objetivo es educar, formar y capacitar a los jóvenes, así como para prevenir drogas, prostitución, pandillas y afiliación criminal.
• Se presta especial atención a las jóvenes en este centro, ya que podrían ser más vulnerables caer en la prostitución o incluso el aborto.

Te pido que hagas lo que puedas. Como dice Santa Madre Teresa: "Lo que importa es cuánto amor pones en lo que estas llamado a hacer ..."

Mil gracias, a su obispo, a su pastor y a todos ustedes por esta oportunidad de hablar sobre las Misiones. Gracias por tu generosidad, y que Dios continúe bendiciéndote siempre.